Google Instant Search Demo: A First Look at Speedier Search

by Clint Boulton

Google Sept. 8 introduced Google Instant, which is quite simply a speedier Google search that renders results as users type them into the search box. Google Instant attempts to guess or predict what users will search for, providing suggested search keywords in light gray as users type in their query. The technology should apply more pressure on Microsoft to innovate on its Bing search engine. Google Instant is rolling out to users of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Web browsers in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the U.K. throughout the day. Google Instant will arrive for other geographies and platforms in the coming months. A version for smartphones and other mobile devices is coming later this year. Users who don't want to use Instant can turn it off from the home page. Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president for search products and user experience, and other executives demonstrated the new technology at MOMA in San Francisco. See Google Instant in action in screen captures taken from Google's YouTube Webcast of the event.